Vlad and Kevin Smith named to MLB Pipeline Team of the Year

Our most thicccc Large Adult Son, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was, of course, named third baseman, which is surprising to nobody. Vlad was named Prospect of the Year by literally everybody after having an impossibly good season in the minors in which it seemed as though he unlocked some kind of cheat code.

On Vlad…

The lone repeater from the 2017 Prospect Team of the Year, Guerrero topped the Minors in hitting, slugging and OPS (1.120) and finished third in on-base percentage. He also nearly walked as much as he struck out while reaching Triple-A at age 19.

Smith didn’t get a write-up because he was on the second team. But still! Smith was one of the biggest breakouts in Toronto’s system this year, climbing all the way up to No. 6 in the organization’s top-30 ranking. He played with Lansing and Dunedin, slashing a .302/.358/.528 line with 25 bombs, 93 RBIs, and 29 stolen bases.

I won’t lie, it’s a little surprising not to see Cavan Biggio, but second basemen Jeff McNeil and Brandon Lowe both had very good seasons for the Mets and Rays farm teams, so, that’s life. This is the second year in a row that the Jays have had two prospects on the Pipeline Team, as Bo Bichette was awarded first team shortstop for his dominant, breakout 2017 campaign. Vlad Jr. is the only returning player from last year’s list which featured Rhys Hoskins, Ronald Acuna, and Rafael Devers.